News for and from the State Assistive Technology Act Programs, the Alternative Financing Programs, and their community partners

Emerging Assistive Technology

September 20, 2013

Therese Willkomm test drives the long-awaited prototype and considers its potential for individuals with disabilities

Thank her for this sneak peek... Google Glass is not exactly in your local assistive technology (AT) demonstration/loan program. To get her hands on it, Therese Willkomm, PhD--that app-happy professor at the University of New Hampshire who is passionate for both high and low-tech solutions--applied for the privilege to pay $1,500 to purchase Google Glass (plus tax!) And once found worthy, she traveled at her own expense to Glass headquarters in New York City for training, fitting, and "free" Champagne. Why did she go to all this trouble? Initially to "enable virtual participation for persons with disabilities" (to quote her 50 word beta-tester application).

But first, just what is Google Glass? If you haven't heard, it's basically your smartphone migrating to your head. The display is not yet implanted in your eyeball, but it's making moves to get there. Worn like eyeglasses, Glass enables you to keep your head up while using your device, to access the Internet in new hands-free ways, to share and experience the world ...annotated (check out Google's vision, What It Does). Although this is consumer tech, the wearable platform holds promise to inspire a new volume of apps from independent developers for persons with disabilities, including students. Willkomm--who loves her iPad--wanted to see if this could be AT's next "big thing."

Key specs and features

Low-profile wire frame (without lenses) supporting a small, transparent, high-resolution display in the upper right field of vision (Google has plans for integration with prescription eyewear);

Built-in voice commands to record video, take a picture, send an email, launch a Google Hangout, get directions, and search the internet (more are enabled with the MyGlass Android app or from the Web site);

Head-tilt gesture to wake up the display.

What caught Willkomm’s attention

Before purchasing Glass, Professor Willkomm had mounted an iPhone 5 on a bicycle helmet for use with Facetime. Her goal, she explained to Friends of ATIA, was to make possible realtime, virtual, community participation for a woman in a nursing home. With help from a helmet-wearing partner, this nursing home resident could go shopping (and make selections off the shelf) or kayaking (and choose the fork in the river). "The problem" Willkomm says, "was the helmet made the partner feel like a dork." So when Glass was announced, with its sleek design and head-mounted camera, she knew she had to give it a try.

Willkomm's findings

As is often the case with beta technology, Glass is a combination of the best of times and the worst of times. Below is Professor Willkomm's take on the new hardware and apps platform, cast through her own lens as an AT professional (and user).

Realtime sharing? Err… never mind

Although Google's promotional videos seem to emphasize Glass's capacity for realtime video sharing, Willkomm found her original motivation for acquiring the headset quickly sidelined. Realtime virtual travel is not, it turns out, Glass' strong suit. And while a Google Hangout could theoretically take up to ten people on an adventure, the experience is made or broken by the quality of the poorest connection speed in the Hangout. "And virtual travel is no fun when the audio arrives seconds before the video." Another problem is the legality of plans. Bringing her Hangout to Wicked at the Boston Opera House proved impossible. "They made this blanket statement before the curtain went up banning any and all recording devices, like they saw us Glassholes coming!"

Speedy for sharing videos and pictures

What works well, however, is the speed and ease Glass provides for taking and sharing pictures and videos. This benefit quickly overshadows deploying live Hangouts. She found she could share media with everyone in a Google Circle with the swipe of her finger and that everything is automatically backed up to her Google + account. The downside is a risk of accidental sharing. "You have to be very careful with your gestures!"

As a college professor who frequently makes videos for instruction, Willkomm is finding Glass a helpful tool. On the fly she can record instructions for creating one of her low-tech AT solutions and instantly share it with students and colleagues. Or she can record video without connecting to the Internet and Glass will back up her work once it senses a connection (she never has to plug into her computer). The disadvantage is that the camera is not good for distances closer than four feet; also she must maneuver the frame on her nose to center the lens for demos.

Further AT potential

Glass voice recognition is superior to Siri (on iOS devices). Willkomm says Glass understands her better than her iPad and is quickly responsive. This, coupled with how easy Glass makes sharing content, could turn it into a powerful tool for individuals with limited dexterity who use speech to communicate.

The hands-free capacity of Glass is also promising. Willkomm imagines a student in a power chair snapping images on the playground to complete an assignment (such as finding shapes in their environment for Everyday Math).

Glass has significant potential for use with video modeling. Individuals (with autism, traumatic brain injury, etc.) could create custom videos--filmed from their own perspective--of themselves accomplishing tasks and routines for later review or as reminders and prompting. Also, Willkomm notes, students with autism could use Glass to work on social skills by recording their interactions with others (to review and learn from facial expressions and reactions).

There is potential for image recognition and even face recognition. Glass has the capacity to use the Google image database to match and help identify objects for persons with visual impairments (as with Google Goggles). Face recognition may be accomplished by third party developers, but is not something Google is pursuing, according to Willkomm. For persons with prosopagnosia (an inability to recognize faces), face recognition software could be life-changing.

Glass's bone-conduction speaker (behind the right ear) means it does not rely on the ear canal for conveying sound. For individuals with hearing impairments due to damage to the ear canal, Willkomm suspects this may have an advantage. The speaker is not as loud as in-ear buds, however, for most users.

Fatal flaws?

The battery life is too limited. Willkomm found that when used for her purposes, the battery lasted about 3.5 hours before needing a recharge. This is a major hurdle she sees for Glass's successful deployment.

Privacy is a central concern. How will people know when they are being videotaped? Willkomm anticipates this will be a problem for schools and limit the adoption of this technology in K-12 environments. Google designed Glass with voice commands for taking pictures and video, but a third party developer has already devised an app for snapping pictures with just a wink. Also the face recognition potential of Glass raises a host of privacy and security concerns.

The right temple heats up! Using Glass for extended periods is uncomfortable and concerning.

Glass requires Google accounts. Not much is new here in the hardware wars, but Willkomm was annoyed to have to make sure those she shared with had Google accounts. She notes, however, that apps for other services will be forthcoming.

Glass is yet more Wi-Fi-dependent AT. Although college students might be a great market for Glass, Willkomm notes that the Wi-Fi readily available on college campuses, like UNH, often allows limited-use access only (such as Web browsing). Glass cannot configure to the UNH high-speed wireless network to accomplish other tasks (like uploading). It's the same problem UNH students are having with their Livescribe Sky pens. Also, Willkomm notes that access to broadband with adequate bandwidth is a problem for many regions of the United States, and the more AT assumes this availability, the more locked-out of potentially transformative technology individuals with disabilities will be in poorly served communities. Willkomm reports that bandwidth problems are a primary and defeating experience when trying to use Glass.

Willkomm still feels like a dork. Okay it's not a bicycle helmet with a camera, but she admits she hasn't worn her Glass as much as she'd thought she would. She says she feels like a billboard for new technology and that at this point, wearing Glass becomes an invitation for anyone to stop her to talk (and she does not have time for this!)

Willkomm, however, will offer an ATIA webinar January 21st, 2014 on her experiences with the new Glass technology. So if you see her wearing her Google Glass, ignore her and consider signing up to get all your Glass questions answered!

Thanks to Therese Willkomm for sharing these insights!

[Note: Eliza Anderson spoke with Professor Willkomm in her capacity as managing editor for the Friends of ATIA newsletter. The article is reproduced here with permission.]

June 10, 2013

An Isreali start-up is marketing glasses ($2,500) that audibly read "text in the wild" as well as interpret objects. The glasses have an unobtrusive design and make use of a logarithm that allows the software to learn as it goes at the direction of users with visual impairments. Check out this article in the New York Times Science section, also the Orcam Web site.

March 28, 2013

In a recent Scoop.it!, Diana
Petschauer, ATP shouted out the Pererro switch interface device by
RSLSteeper that was recently unveiled in the US. The Pererro plugs into iOS
devices (except iPad Mini) and provides plug and play universal switch access
(with a 3.5 mm mono jack socket). Best of all, Pererro works with almost any
VoiceOver-enabled app!

"I was able to try this switch with my own iPad and apps at ATIA, and it
is phenomenal!" writes Petschauer. "It works with several apps that
my students and clients use, including VoiceDream and AAC! It not only offers
access to the iPad through scanning and switch selection, but also to far more
apps than any Bluetooth switch!"

Additional features include direct input (so no
Bluetooth battery drain), and the ability to charge your device while Pererro
is connected. Learn more at this RSLSteeper
Web page. And thanks for broadcasting your insights Diana!

Reminder: AT Program News makes no endorsement, representation, or warranty
expressed or implied for any product, device, or information set forth in this
newsletter or on its Web site. AT Program News has not examined, reviewed, or
tested any product or device referred to.

December 10, 2012

Need help with wayfinding, social cueing, task sequencing, and/or behavioral prompting? Virginia Commonwealth University's Assistive Technology for Cognition Laboratory has been studying the use of smartphones and other PDAs for this assistance. VCU's Autism Center for Excellence Web site includes an eleven minute introduction to video modeling using iPod Touch and tablets by Lab Director Tony Gentry. Check it out his video here (opens in a new window).

December 05, 2012

In Scientific American's just-released 2012 Gadget Guide comes this fascinating new bit of assistive technology: glasses that claim to correct for two types of color-blindness. EnChroma has lenses available to address deuteranomaly or protanomaly (respectively, the EnChroma Cx-D and EnChroma Cx-PT). Check out the post at Scientific American (opens in a new window).

September 12, 2011

Finding a loaf of French bread and a wheel of Camembert could get a lot easier for people with disabilities. French supermarket chain Casino is testing the potential of chip-enabled smartphones that would make grocery shopping easier for people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability.

January 19, 2011

Researchers at Georgia Tech's Healthcare Robotic Lab have projects underway to explore both age-in-place and facility-based care applications for robots.

According to a January 4, 2011 article at Scientific American.com, the Georgia Tech researchers are working on robots to open doors and drawers and pick objects up off the floor. Last May the lab was awarded a PR2 robotics kit from Willow Garage in California as a beta program recipient. The test kit is a personal robot that includes software that works right out of the box. (Sixteen institutions were awarded PR2s for experimentation and to encourage cross-collaboration.)

November 28, 2010

The National Science Foundation has awarded researchers at Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia (UGA) $1.47 M for an exciting new program to benefit students studying science, technology engineering, and math (STEM). The 5-year grant funds the Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance to build a 3-D virtual learning environment for high school and college students with disabilities as well as STEM faculty and teachers.

"The influence of digital media has changed the way young people learn, play and socialize," notes Robert Todd, principal investigator for Georgia Tech. "The grant will allow us to take advantage of the these new spaces and engage young people in a way that is fun, empowering, and effective."

Todd, along with Noel Gregg and Michael Hannafin of UGA, plans to build a one-of-a-kind virtual Mentoring Island where students meet and interact with mentors to address their STEM education needs. Participants will include students from Georgia Perimeter College, and the school systems of Georgia's Greene, Clarke, and Gwinnett counties. Georgia's Tools for Life (AT Act program) is a collaborating partner.

"There is terrific potential for this program model to integrate with our High School/High Tech curriculum and supports," notes AT Programs Manager Joy Kniskern of Georgia's Dept. of Labor. "We're excited to provide yet another avenue for mentorship and to help channel motivated students to this new virtual environment" (see HS/HT in this newsletter).

So what, exactly, is a Mentoring Island?

According to Todd, the Mentoring Island will be an online 3-D virtual world where students, teachers and faculty enter and interact through the use of avatars. (To get a feel for this technology, check out Second Life.)

And what is an avatar?

Avatars are animated characters. Each participant chooses an avatar to represent his/her physical self. Entering a virtual world is a bit like entering a Pixar movie. It's fun, appealing, and entirely in each participant's control. For example, on the Mentoring Island a student or teacher who uses a wheelchair in real life can continue to use a chair online, or s/he might choose to be someone entirely different, even fantastical.

How will the Mentoring Island teach?

Avatars will interact with one another in virtual classroom spaces designed to exemplify the best of universal design in the real world. In these fantasy learning environments, student participants will obtain real assistance: mentoring and teaching, social networking, academic support, transition assistance, and research participation. In addition, participating teachers and faculty will be able to virtually access training modules on universal design and evidence-based teaching strategies for their virtual and real-world classrooms and labs.

What are the GSAA's goals?

The project will serve as a pipeline between secondary and postsecondary institutions to strengthen students with disabilities' capacities to access and succeed in STEM programs across critical junctures: high school, two-year college, four-year college, graduate school. The program seeks to increase the number of students with disabilities enrolling in STEM classes and majors; increase their retention and graduation rates; and increase their rate of entry into STEM graduate programs. The researchers are excited that the model has potential to build a large user community of students and teachers who would not otherwise reach each other. They also see a potential broader application for the media to build national and international communities among STEM stakeholders.

June 17, 2010

Apple's latest version of the iPhone features a new video application called FaceTime that can be used by people who cannot hear to communicate from separate locations using sign language. The application is similar to tools such as Skype and iChat but expands videoconferencing to mobile technology.

May 24, 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 is expected out next month and it will include new accessibility features, according to blogger, Desiree, at Knowability. Read her post on the new accessibility checker tool (like spell-checker) and other features here:

March 31, 2010

Researchers from North Carolina State University now say they have devised a display that would allow visually challenged users to read a full page at a time — and at a much lower cost than existing displays. Read the entire article at Wired.

March 14, 2010

Cupertino, CA (February 23, 2010) – Accessible Twitter, a web application that empowers disabled users to access Twitter, has updated its status from Alpha to Beta. Accessible Twitter is a web application that enables users with disabilities and limited technology to use the popular social micro-blogging web service Twitter. Accessible Twitter beta will include new features like URL-shortening, trends, saved searches, popular links, and partial support for lists.

March 11, 2010

For some, Windows 7 might just be the fastest selling operating system in history, but, for others, the product could prove a veritable life saver. The successor of Windows Vista is at the core of a new initiative aimed at homebound seniors, and designed to boost wellness by simply helping them reduce social isolation. Virtual Senior Center is only a demonstration project at this point in time...

March 10, 2010

Ah, video and search. Frank Sinatra said it best: Try, try, try to separate them – it’s an illusion. Here’s proof of that: Speech Technology. This week, Google sealed the deal on video search capabilities for its YouTube portal, saying it would provide auto-captions for all of its uploaded videos using proprietary Google’s Speech Technology.